In general, automotive radome bodies are used to protect antennas, in particular radar antennas, from environmental effects such as wind and/or rain. Typically, motor vehicles have a radar system at their front wherein the radar system is protected by a radome body which is also disposed at the front of the motor vehicle. The radar system is used to detect another motor vehicle or any other object in front of the motor vehicle. Accordingly, the radar system comprises at least one transmitting antenna for transmitting a radar signal as well as at least one receiving antenna for receiving a reflected signal. Both antennas are protected by the same automotive radome body. Usually, the antennas are working with a frequency between 77 GHz and 79 GHz, in particular 77 GHz or 79 GHz.
Since customers can see the radome body at the front of the motor vehicle, the radome body should have an attractive design wherein the logo of the manufacturer is typically integrated, for instance. Thus, the radome body should have excellent optical quality with regard to design purposes, but it is also indispensable that the radome body stays transparent for radar signals of the antennas disposed behind the radome body as well as the reflected radar signals.
However, the radar signals, in particular their propagation, can be disturbed due to the design of the radome body, in particular due to certain shapes and/or materials used. For example, the maximum range of detection can be reduced and/or the angle accuracy of objects to be detected can be degraded which result in poor performance of the whole radar system of the motor vehicle. Accordingly, the range sensitivity and the angle accuracy of detection are impaired.
Usually, the radome body is analyzed in order to determine its transmission and reflection properties. Therefore, the radome body is placed in front of a transmission antenna wherein the reflection properties are measured. Alternatively, the transmission properties are measured by placing a receiving antenna behind the radome body in order to determine the transmission properties. Until now, this information is deemed to be sufficient.
However, these measurements do not provide enough information regarding the attenuation and/or homogeneity of the radome body, in particular with regard to angle dependency.